I'm reading "When Corporations Rule the World" by David Korten. It's Grrrrrrreeeeeaaaaaattttt. The perfect combination of statistics, personal observations and analogies. Very readable and compelling stuff, this is. All about how corporations have perpetuated this myth that the way to end poverty is through economic growth, when economic growth displaces and disenfranchises and gentrifies the people it's purporting to help. And how economists point to all these factors to show how the standard of living has improved, like more per capita income, more property owned and shit, but there at the same time, there are all these indicators that our QUALITY OF LIFE is going down the shitter. And a LOT of native people are getting fucked over in the process. Globalization makes it easier for corporations to steal money/resources from the already-poor because the victims are far away, out of their sight and minds.
Here's my big question: How can we control the population without being fascist?
Our planet simply is overcrowded, and it's only going to get worse ... and worse ... and worse ... and worse ... and not only that, but it's going to get worse EXPONENTIALLY.
We can't exactly do what China did and limit folks to 1 kid per family, because that was awful. It created a huge influx of unwanted children crowding orphanages, horror stories about babies being killed after birth and stuff.
I know how to control it in my own life. Don't fucking breed. I don't have a problem with that. Like I said, there are LOTS of unwanted children in orphanages all over the world.
Maybe incentive programs that pay women to get their tubes tied aren't inherently evil. I think it's an alright idea, but has SUCH classist implications. I don't want to widen the gap between rich and poor, and paying women to get their tubes ties certainly would do that.
Another idea is to control the food supply, ala Daniel Quinn. No food=no babies. That's just the way it is. That's why mommy rats will eat their babies if they're born in a captive situation where there's a constant struggle with other rats for food. Eventually, they'll stop breeding altogether. Where there isn't adequate food to sustain life, there will be no new life.
The problem with this idea is how fucking fascist it comes off. And how horrifying it seems to the general public. Decreasing food production would mean starvation and malnutrition, particularly among children (ever notice how children and women are far more likely to suffer from starvation than men? Jerks.) But keeping food production exactly equal to this year NEXT year. Right now, we just produce SO MUCH EXCESS, it tricks our biological functions into thinking we can support LIMITLESS POPULATION EXPANSION. Lulls our baby-making parts into a false sense of security.
This idea never would gain popular support, I'm afraid. This would mean less industry, less exports, less trade, less money for swimming pool maintenance for the CEO of Frito-lay. Or whatever. But we have to do SOMETHING, don't we?
I sense the social consciousness coming to life on issues like this, this big collective stretch and yawn. We're wiping our eyes, saying, all foggy-headed, what's going on here? Something doesn't seem right ... Was I sleeping that whole time?
I remember, in November, George Bush came out and said that although he recognizes its importance, environmental issues are not and will not be a top priority for his administration. What an arrogant piece of shit. Standing on the earth, breathing the air, and making a statement like that. As if he has a choice. He's choosing instead to steamroll forward into unchartered territory, sucking the resources out of Earth at an alarming rate. For progress, a quick fix to our economic troubles, no thought to the looming future, the fucking elephant in the corner.
After those terrorists drove the planes into the buildings, he encouraged everyone to show our patriotism by continuing to shop and consume like before. Keep the beast moving forward. Keep the toxic black smoke pouring out of those factories, folks, it's the American way.
Something's gonna give way.
Here's my big question: How can we control the population without being fascist?
Our planet simply is overcrowded, and it's only going to get worse ... and worse ... and worse ... and worse ... and not only that, but it's going to get worse EXPONENTIALLY.
We can't exactly do what China did and limit folks to 1 kid per family, because that was awful. It created a huge influx of unwanted children crowding orphanages, horror stories about babies being killed after birth and stuff.
I know how to control it in my own life. Don't fucking breed. I don't have a problem with that. Like I said, there are LOTS of unwanted children in orphanages all over the world.
Maybe incentive programs that pay women to get their tubes tied aren't inherently evil. I think it's an alright idea, but has SUCH classist implications. I don't want to widen the gap between rich and poor, and paying women to get their tubes ties certainly would do that.
Another idea is to control the food supply, ala Daniel Quinn. No food=no babies. That's just the way it is. That's why mommy rats will eat their babies if they're born in a captive situation where there's a constant struggle with other rats for food. Eventually, they'll stop breeding altogether. Where there isn't adequate food to sustain life, there will be no new life.
The problem with this idea is how fucking fascist it comes off. And how horrifying it seems to the general public. Decreasing food production would mean starvation and malnutrition, particularly among children (ever notice how children and women are far more likely to suffer from starvation than men? Jerks.) But keeping food production exactly equal to this year NEXT year. Right now, we just produce SO MUCH EXCESS, it tricks our biological functions into thinking we can support LIMITLESS POPULATION EXPANSION. Lulls our baby-making parts into a false sense of security.
This idea never would gain popular support, I'm afraid. This would mean less industry, less exports, less trade, less money for swimming pool maintenance for the CEO of Frito-lay. Or whatever. But we have to do SOMETHING, don't we?
I sense the social consciousness coming to life on issues like this, this big collective stretch and yawn. We're wiping our eyes, saying, all foggy-headed, what's going on here? Something doesn't seem right ... Was I sleeping that whole time?
I remember, in November, George Bush came out and said that although he recognizes its importance, environmental issues are not and will not be a top priority for his administration. What an arrogant piece of shit. Standing on the earth, breathing the air, and making a statement like that. As if he has a choice. He's choosing instead to steamroll forward into unchartered territory, sucking the resources out of Earth at an alarming rate. For progress, a quick fix to our economic troubles, no thought to the looming future, the fucking elephant in the corner.
After those terrorists drove the planes into the buildings, he encouraged everyone to show our patriotism by continuing to shop and consume like before. Keep the beast moving forward. Keep the toxic black smoke pouring out of those factories, folks, it's the American way.
Something's gonna give way.
gimmesatisfaction:
Oh, but it's not inherently broken, man. It's temporarily broken, and I believe we are on a clear, fast path to destruction right now, but it's not too late to put on the brakes. It's either that or self-destruct, and humans are far too self-interested to let that happen...at leat I hope.